Feature article draft

Contents page final draft

Front cover final draft

Photography for artist 1 (Konrad)

First front cover draft

Feature article script

The unknown sensation, Konrad fresh out from college has struck many people’s minds with his unique music. Recently around the world, Konrad has hit new heights he has never experienced before and "loves it". After touring America Konrad wants to settle down in the UK and focus more on his tracks to complete his albums.

Since the age of 6 Konrad has wanted to be involved in the rap game. He was first inspired by the song "big pimpin" by Kanye West in 2000 and he has been his idol ever since. From 9 years onwards he has had singing lessons and guitar lessons and has thrived in it ever since he started. At the age of 11 he started rap music and that’s where he thrived most. Through his teenage life he has excelled in music, getting as through all his music exams and thriving in all of the music productions at his school. At the age of 18 he left school to focus on his music life. He passed all his main exams which make him equip able for any job, however I don’t expect he will do anything other than music.

At the age of 14, Konrad has started writing some of his own songs. He writes, sings and performs all his songs. He normally has a bass to rap with, however he designs the base track as well making him an all-round performer. He has posted his songs onto YouTube and has a large amount of views. A well-known music producer saw his video and was very impressed and contacted Konrad, his music career started from here. He has his own YouTube channel and has thousands of subscribers and is increasing daily. His channel is so well known, it is advertised on other YouTube videos increasing his fame and popularity.

Many people call him "the young Jay-Z" "rap maestro". His music reflects these nicknames and he is improving every second. We were fortunate enough to have a chat with Konrad. When recently asked "Is your music for your entertainment, or for the fans?" He replied “I do what I do as I love doing it, of course I take into account the fans reactions and reviews, but I mainly do it because I like too". We also asked him "Is your music lyrics based from experience, or made up?" he said "I write my music from personal experience, otherwise it would be fake and I am not that type of guy".

His debut album 'Spark' was a big seller; it was rivalling all the top main rap artists. His album went into the top 20 in the UK; this is incredible for his debut album. He is set to release his next album in the upcoming month and expects a bigger outcome than his first. Even though he is only an upcoming artist, he still achieves big things in his early days. Konrad is set off on a UK tour and will be performing at most of the UK festivals. He is the guy that can do it all, performing, wiring and promoting, what a guy. He takes every chance to get what he wants and thrives for success. All of his income is earned from his rapping, selling his CD's and performing at gigs. Even though he has not reached a global level yet, he could still rival all the top rappers as he is an all-round performer.

Contents page draft (hand drawn)

feature article draft (hand drawn)

front cover draft (hand drawn)

Inspiration for background shots

These three photos are what I plan to make my photographs look like. I like the way the photos all connote different things and I believe this would suit my magazine cover very well. Even though I will take more photos and will probably be different to these, I will try to base my photos around these as they fit the rap style/genre very well.

Photography planning

Setting/Location

I will try to use an urbanized location for my background. I will try to use an old train track or an old and dirty ally way. I believe these two locations are appropriate for a rap magazine as most rap music videos feature these types of locations and the rap audience will recognize this. These locations could connote poverty or negativity. This is similar to the rap style/genre which will be appropriate in my magazine cover. Another location that I might consider is the underground train environment which is similar to the rap genre and styles making it look more professional. 

Framing

Framing is very important when taking a photograph. You have to think of what will be in the photo and what will not be as you want to feature all the things that need to be in the photo. Framing can make a person look very big or very small as you can position them in a way that they give across a specific message.

Light

The lighting in any photograph is very important as it directs the thoughts and feelings. Having a light photograph can connote a very bright and happy mood. This is not always good in a rap magazine as rap is not a typical happy type of song. Having a dark background connotes a completely different mood to a bright background. A dark background connotes a scary or evil vibe. This is more suited to a rap genre as the lyrics are more associated with that type of vibe. Whereas a light background connotes a happy and light hearted vibe, this is not suited in a rap magazine.

Choice and re-shoots

My re-shoots will be taken if any conditions are not acceptable. The re-shoots will be taken if the photos aren't what I expected or don't match my criteria that I want. I will take over 50 photos and I will filter them down into about 10 to 15 possible photos. This will enable me to choose the best ones, this means that my re-shoots won’t be so difficult and time consuming.

Photoshoot schedule

Main feature artist - Konrad

Date: 10/11/14

Time: 12:00 - 15:00

Location: Newbury train station

Outfit: Black skinny jeans, high tops (preferably red), flat cap, baggy hood (preferably red), black T-shirt 

Makeup: No makeup

Hair style: Spiked up, however will not be seen in the hat but more shots will be taken without the hat.

Shot type: Medium shot, showing the background as well but mainly the artist being the centre image. Two locations will be an ally way and a train track, will get a wide shot and a few medium shots showing most of the background.

Lighting: The lighting will be fairly dark. I will try to dim the surroundings to make it as dark as possible. I will also add additional effects in the editing process.

Props: A flat cap and some golden chains will be used on my cover as they represent a rappers style.

Re-shoots: Encase any conditions are not appropriate, the re-shoot will be scheduled on 20/11/14. This re-shoot will be taken if:
. The weather conditions are bad
. I don't get all the shots I need too
. The shots do not work out/photos are bad

Cover artist 

Date: 13/11/14

Time: 11:00 - 13:00

Location: Newbury train station, Chieveley wreck.

Outfit: Black skinny jeans, high tops (preferably red), flat cap, a baggy hoody 

Makeup: No makeup

Hair style: Pulled down, whipped to the side showing over the flat cap.

Shot type: Medium shot, showing the background as well but mainly the artist being the centre image. The two locations I will use are an ally way and any brick wall.

Lighting: I want the lighting to be fairly bright. This will be helped by the timings of the shoot as the day is at its brightest around mid-day. 

Props: 
. Flat cap
. Chains
. Sun glasses

Re-shoots: In case any conditions are not appropriate, the re-shoot will be scheduled on 24/11/14. This re-shoot will be taken if:
. The weather conditions are bad
. I don't get all the shots I need too
. The shots do not work out/photos are bad

Possible outfit ideas

Style 1

Style 2

Both of these outfit ideas are suited to my artist. I believe style 2 is more suited as the clothes chosen are more appropriate. The jacket symbolises his English presence as Enlang is stertyped as cold and dull, this is the need for the jacket. The blue shoes are a modern trend that is going on at the moment. The hat and sun glasses are just accessories to the whole outift. It will make my artist look more diverse and different, this is good as he will stand out.

Designing my artist

Choosing the right artist for your magazine has to be appropriate for the genre of the magazine you are doing. As I am doing 'rap' genre, I need to adapt my artist around the rap style involving clothing, colours, appearance, background, location and content.

Solo artist - profile

I am going to feature a solo artist in my front cover and contents page. The information provided about them has to be suited to the rap genre. I will use two models/artists, one on my front cover and one featured on my feature article. Both these artists will have information about them on the page that they are on. 

 

Morgan - Morgan will be an 18 year old upcoming rapper from the UK (London). He will be promoting his new and upcoming music. He has finished his education life and focused on his successful music career. He has brought out new songs that have not hit full popularity yet, so this magazine will promote himself and his music. Morgan has his own unique fashion sense based on the rap style. He has only been a professional rapper for a short time and wants to be successful quickly. He earns money off of rapping; he performs at national festivals and is becoming increasingly popular as time goes by. Grew up in a poor neighbourhood, didn't have much income as a teenager but earns a lot of money off of his music.

Konrad - Konrad will also be an 18 year old rapper. He will also be a new upcoming artist promoting his new album. He will be featured on my feature article page, with Morgan on my front cover. He has finished his education life with high success. His purpose in this magazine will be to promote his new album. He is very interested in Sport and physicality and is shown by his body tone. He is very humorous and is shown by his use of words in his music and the names of his songs. Konrad is more into the street side of rapping making his style a bit more urbanized.

Both fashion styles includes Skinny jeans, high tops, flat cap, baggy jumper and a printed shirt, even though most rappers use this fashion sense, he will wear this style his own way to make the style unique. The fashion style will be enticing towards the audience as they will like his fashion sense and will want to copy his style.

The appearance of the artist on the front cover of the magazine will be positioned very dominant and serious setting the tone of the front cover. The background will be a rough/dirty environment not only proving the classic English weather; it will also present his background and lifestyle. I will take a variety of shots with the artists in different positions so I have a variety of photos I can choose from. I will also set a grey scale on the background but leave the model itself in normal colour which will make him stand out. For the background, I will use a rough environment, like an old train track or an ally way. 

The colour scheme I will use is red, white and black/blue. I will colour coordinate his clothes with these colours. These colours will contrast well as the dark black/blue will highlight the bright red colour, this will make it stand out and be noticed. The red colour connoted danger/blood/caution. This is appropriate for my magazine as the rap language is that style/genre (rude/aggressive). 

Mood board for my artist